A former Trump advisor is at the helm of Meta
Newlink opens a new office in Barcelona and appoints a new director
BarcelonaThe renewal of Isidre Fainé's contract as head of the La Caixa Foundation has been the highlight of this week's business appointments; we've discussed it in the ARA economics section with a special report on the La Caixa scandal, which you can read in the newspaper. However, in the US, Meta – the parent company of Facebook and Instagram – has appointed Dina Powell, former advisor to Donald Trump, as the company's new president and vice president; and locally, the consulting firm Newlink has opened a new office in Barcelona and a new director. These are the week's most notable appointments:
Newlink appoints Eduardo Menal as the new director of the consulting firm in Barcelona
Newlink Spain, a strategic communications consultancy, and Both, Newlink's Culture and People division, a consultancy specializing in cultural transformation and talent, both with over 25 years of experience, are consolidating their integration process, which began in 2022, with the opening of a new office in Barcelona. This new milestone reinforces Newlink's commitment to Barcelona as a key strategic driver of its growth in Southern Europe. In this context, Eduardo Menal has been appointed Managing Director of Newlink in Barcelona, where he will lead business development and the expansion strategy for this market.
Likewise, Cristina Salvador, president of Both, expands her scope of responsibility by assuming the international development of the Culture division. Founded more than 25 years ago by Sergio Roitberg, Newlink is headquartered in Miami and has offices in Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Paris, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Lima, and Santo Domingo.
Meta appoints Dina Powell McCormick, former Trump advisor, as new president
Tech giant Meta has appointed Dina Powell McCormick, a former advisor to Donald Trump during part of his first term, as president and vice president of the company. Powell served on Meta's board of directors until last December, when she resigned without specifying a reason, but according to the company, she remained involved.
"Dina's experience at the highest levels of global finance makes her uniquely suited to help Meta manage this next phase of growth as president and vice president of the company," Zuckerberg said.
Trump also congratulated her through Truth Social, who served as his deputy national security advisor until 2018, describing her as a "fantastic" and "talented" person who "served the Trump administration with strength and distinction."
According to Meta's statement, Powell, 52, who was born in Egypt, will join its leadership team and help guide the company's overall strategy and execution. Furthermore, her role as president and vice president of the technology company "will drive the creation of new strategic capital alliances and the search for innovative ways to expand our long-term investment capacity," the company emphasizes.
Powell worked for 16 years at Goldman Sachs and in 2023 joined the investment firm BDT & MSD Partners, and also worked for the State Department during the George W. Bush administration.
Imma Comella, new Director of Institutional Relations and Communication at Ercros
Ercros has appointed Imma Comella Pons as Director of Institutional Relations and Communication, replacing Teresa Conesa, who is leaving the company after 30 years in the position.
Born in Barcelona in 1973, Imma Comella holds a degree in Journalism from Pompeu Fabra University and a degree in Geography and History from the University of Barcelona. She collaborated with Ercros as an external consultant from 2015, and in 2019 joined the company as a technical specialist in the Institutional Relations and Communication department, a position she has held to this day.
Previously, he developed his professional career in media such as Televisió de Catalunya, Betevé and Com Ràdio, and later in the field of corporate communication, at IPR Comunicación.
Wegow restructures its leadership
Wegow, the software company for purchasing tickets to cultural events, is embarking on a new phase with the goal of laying the foundations for a more solid and sustainable project. The company is currently in the final stages of the judicial approval process for its Restructuring Plan, the resolution of which is expected imminently. "This step will allow Wegow to consolidate its operational stability and move forward with the deployment of its strategy," the company stated. As part of this process, Wegow has announced the appointment of César Blanca as Chief Sales Officer (CSO) and Eugeni Calsamiglia as an independent director, both with extensive experience in the entertainment industry. César Blanca has spent much of his career as Commercial Director at Ticketmaster. He holds a degree in Economics and has combined his professional career with teaching in cultural management programs at various universities. Eugeni Calsamiglia, former CEO of Ticketmaster Spain, joins Wegow's board of directors as an independent director. He began his career at the promoter Doctor Music as finance director and later became one of the driving forces behind Tick Tack Ticket. After its acquisition by Ticketmaster, he served as CEO until 2021 and, since then, has worked as a consultant on entrepreneurial projects related to the ticketing.
ANECPLA appoints Manuel García Howlett as its new general manager
The National Association of Environmental Health Companies (ANECPLA) has appointed Manuel García Howlett as its new director general, replacing Jorge Galván, "to address the major challenges facing Public Health and Environmental Health in Spain." Manuel García Howlett holds a degree in Environmental Sciences from the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid and has extensive technical training in the field of Environmental Health. He also holds a master's degree in Geographic Information Technologies (GIT) and a master's degree in Cartography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Remote Sensing, both from the University of Alcalá.
Throughout his professional career he has worked for different companies in the Environmental Health sector, performing functions as a GIS technician, researcher in Geographic Information Technologies, advisor in digitization processes applied to pest management and international development, and, in his most recent stage, as assistant to the management of one of the main companies in the sector in Spain.